It’s August – that means the Illinois State Fair and its must-see, iconic butter cow sculpture is back again.
And so is the annual miniature butter cow contest sponsored by Illinois Times and Prairie Farms Dairy. The contest, which started in 2020 when the fair was canceled because of the COIVD-19 pandemic, invites people to try their hand at sculpting their own butter cow creations.
Like the 500-pound butter cow, the miniature works also are on display in the Dairy Building.
This season, some notable young butter artists are honing their creative skills.
One of them is Giovanni Steele, 9, of Springfield.
Giovanni, who was in the contest last year with his mother, Abbey Caitlin Steele, asked his mother if they could compete again. Their summertime butter masterpiece, named “Moo Lincoln,” is a cow wearing the classic stovepipe hat Abraham Lincoln wore.
“It was fun,” Abbey Steele said, “We used sticks of butter, then melted them down to mold the cow.”
Abbey Steele, who had forgotten how challenging it is to work with butter, said she has nothing but “respect” for the creator of the full-size butter cow.
Since the 1920s, the life-size figure traditionally made of 500 pounds of unsalted butter has drawn crowds of fairgoers to the Dairy Building.
Competitor Briley Ingersoll, who just turned 8, was inspired by this year’s mullet haircut contest to create a miniature bovine in its own mullet contest.
Briley’s mother, Deidre, said Briley “wanted to make people smile with her miniature butter cow. Briley highlighted something new at the State Fair this year, the mullet contest! Her cow is ready to show off his winning mullet.”
This year’s top three finalists, in order, are Dr. Diane Hillard-Sembell of Springfield, Colette Ellenberg of Springfield and Pam Martin of Alexander. All three were finalists last year as well, with Hillard-Sembell once again taking first place, based on online voting. The top three entries will receive cash prizes of $200, $100 and $50.
Martin’s sculpture once again is inspired by a ride at the fair’s carnival – this time the Ring of Fire. The sculpture is titled “Ring of Fire Cash Cow.”
“It’s just fun to do,” said Martin, who said one of her grandfathers was a Modesto-area dairy farmer who sold his milk to Prairie Farms Dairy in Carlinville.
It took about five pounds of butter to create the ride. The miniature Bessie is the same one from last year – preserved in the refrigerator just like the butter used in the State Fair sculpture.
Gov. JB Pritzker and First Lady MK Pritzker will join other dignitaries at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 7, to unveil this year's butter cow.
Moove over, Bessie
Aug. 8-18, during daily fair hours
Illinois State Fairgrounds, Dairy Building, Central Avenue
Free, 217-782-6661
